This attack was different from a skill, or anything like it. Verity could see no change in the physical world, but he could feel it, a subtle shift in the atmosphere around him.

  In some sense, it reminded him of the fire pillars the goblin mages had assaulted him with back in the first trial. Back then, he could not tell when or where it would come without the use of his skill, [Lesson Learned], but now his sharpened senses screamed at him that danger was near.

  As Melinda finished her chant, the ground beneath Verity’s feet sparked.

  He immediately understood what would happen within the next moment.

  ‘Shit!!! It’s the same as the goblins!’

  Without even thinking, Verity’s Aura rushed to his feet, and he leaped to the side with all his might. A fraction of a second later, a magical circle appeared where he had been moments prior and with no delay, a pillar of flames which would have put the goblins’ to shame rose from the ground.

  Verity slid across the stone floor and barely avoided being turned into ashes. He had gotten away, but the mere heat from the flames was enough to make him grimace.

  The pillar rose high into the sky, incinerating all within its path, and any who looked upon it shuddered at the thought of being caught in that attack. Even the large man with the horned helmet let out a disgruntled scoff at the sight. ‘This is why I hate fighting mages…’ He thought.

  When fighting a mage, a swift death was thought to be one of the best case scenarios. Magic was a complex phenomenon, and the ways in which it could be applied were limitless. As such, mages were beings who possessed a thousand ways to torment their opponents, and a thousand more to kill them painfully.

  Verity did not know that since it was his first time encountering a real mage, but he would soon come to understand the common sense of this world.

  The young man gritted his teeth as the pillar of flames showed no signs of disappearing.

  ‘Whoever this woman is, she’s much stronger than the goblins, and probably stronger than me….’

  When she put an end to her spell, Melinda raised an eyebrow. “You dodged that?” She asked before her gaze then fell where the magic circle was fading.

  There lay the charred bodies of two of the bandits.

  The man with the horned helmet groaned. “Do you think I can just get these men anywhere? Learn to aim, mage.”

  Melinda rolled her eyes and barely spared the corpses a glance. “They were in the way. Their deaths are no one’s fault but their own.” She said with a disinterested tone.

  The other bandits who had been lucky enough to not stand in the line of fire found their hands trembling. A few of them could not help but step back, and some even dropped their weapons, ready to turn tail and flee the scene.

  But before such a thing could happen, the large bandit leader’s foot slammed into the ground, and he spoke with venom in his voice. “Run, and I will make you wish you burned instead..” He said coldly, the implications clear.

  Silence. The bandits froze in place, fear holding them in place as surely as chains

  Verity stared at his opponents apprehensively. If the bandit leader was anything like the mage, his chances of winning were slim, so what could he do?

  He could run, but his Master would not help him if that was his choice. He was unfamiliar with the area, and in any case, he doubted those in front of him would allow him to turn tail and flee.

  He could-

  “Daydreaming while fighting my esteemed self? How arrogant.” Melinda grinned and snapped her fingers. “Burst and devour - Combust.”

  Before he could react, the air beside Verity’s leg twisted violently before a sharp crack could be heard.. Heat flared against his skin, and the explosion sent tiny embers flickering into the night.

  He grimaced at the pain and he looked down at his leg. ‘She can do that too…?’

  Melinda’s grin grew wider, and Verity understood he had to move.

  And so the chase began.

  “Combust.”

  He barely avoided losing his face with a twist of his body.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Combust.”

  This time the attack was aimed at the hand which held onto his spear. Verity failed to avoid it so he simply endured it, something made possible by [Painkiller].

  “Combust.”

  His arm.

  “Combust.”

  His thigh.

  “Combust.”

  “Combust.”

  “Combust.”

  “Combust.”

  …

  Melinda sighed. “Why don’t you just let me kill you already? Isn’t the outcome evident?”

  Verity groaned. He had suffered burns all over his body, and Melinda had been adamant about making him drop his spear, so his right hand was in an especially terrible shape. He had incredible stamina, so he was not exhausted yet, but the mental fatigue was piling up and he could feel his decision making slowing down by the moment.

  It was not that each attack carried devastating power, but instead that each explosion could sprout from anywhere. Plus, Verity did not know how a mage’s mana reserves functioned, but at least Melinda did not seem as though she would run out any time soon. Rather, she seemed almost bored as she drowned Verity in her combustion spells.

  Melinda sighed, stretching her arms. “Seriously? Do we have to keep going? Just lay down and let me kill you…” She grinned as she eyed Verity’s body. “How’s this? I swear I'll make good use of your body. You might be weak, but an adventurer’s body still has some worth.”

  Her words did were not enough to make Verity flinch. The young spearman ignored her and exhaled sharply as he looked at his hands.

  'What am I doing?'

  He’d just been running around for the past ten minutes. He hadn’t even attempted a proper attack, not that he could, since his spear would not reach Melinda from where he stood.

  But that was exactly the problem.

  Why was he fighting this mage at this range? Why fight on her terms?

  In games, the most effective strategy to battle long-range types was to close the distance. They were fearsome from afar but often fell short when it came to close quarter combat. Instead of doing that, however, Verity was letting her bombard him with her spells from a safe distance.

  'Am I an idiot?'

  No he was not, Well- not for that reason at least.

  The reason Verity had yet to attempt bridging the gap between them was the large man standing beside her. He was immobile, but his mere presence served as a deterrent. Verity could not get close without risking being cut down the moment he let his guard down.

  So then, what could he do?

  That was an easy question.

  Verity grinned. He knew the answer to that one. At last, some of his real world experience would come in handy.

  He pointed his spear forward. “Hey you, big guy! Aren’t you going to fight too?” He asked.

  The large man arched an eyebrow. “The name’s Vindiel…” He rumbled. “And why should I do that? I think you’re losing well enough as is.”

  Verity smirked. “You say that, but you standing next to her with your axe in hand makes it no different from a two against one, so stop half-assing it and just attack me!”

  Vindiel tilted his head, confused by Verity’s outburst. “...You want me to attack you?”

  Verity rolled his eyes impatiently. “Sure, why not? You both don’t believe you can take me by yourselves, so just be honest about it and come at me for real!”

  Melinda immediately burst out in anger. “What!? Look at you! You haven’t been able to do anything against me alone! Where do you get the confidence to say such things?!”

  Verity shrugged, a smug smile on his face. “Easy to say when you’re hiding behind your boss." He made sure to linger on that last word. "...Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but just be honest about it, you know?”

  Melinda’s eye twitched, and Vindiel tried to calm her down. “He’s obviously trying to provo-”

  “Leave.” Melinda ordered.

  “...I thought you wanted to finish this quickly. Just ignore him and kill h-.”

  “Move.”

  Her voice was calm and composed, but behind it was a hint of palpable rage. “Or do you also think you're my boss...?”

  Vindiel rolled his eyes, and moved away. “...Fine. Just don’t come crying to me when you get impaled.”

  She clenched her fists and her enraged gaze fell on Verity. “You think you can talk to me like that, brat? I’ll make sure you regret every word! I’ll show you that there are worse fates than deaths…!”

  Vindiel sighed as he saw Melinda lose her temper. He did not honestly believe Verity would win against the mage, even in a fair duel, but he did not wish to take any chances. He’d intervene if it got dangerous. He couldn’t let her die, after all, no matter if her pride was hurt.

  ‘Got her.’ Verity thought as grin tugged at his lips.

  This was called rage-baiting back on earth, and Verity was very good at it.

  Melinda shot Verity a glare filled with animosity. Then, she chanted, and a large wooden wand appeared in her hand. “I’ll make you swallow your words…” She spat.

  “O crimson flames, rise, stand tall. Let none pass through thy burning might. Turn flesh to ash, devour light - Flame Wall!”

  The mana in the air rustled upon her call. Soon after, four walls of incandescent flames rose from the ground, encasing both Verity and the mage, and isolating them from the rest of the bandits.

  “Oh, an arena? How considerate.” Verity said with a smirk, but his smugness was betrayed by a drop of cold sweat sliding down his temple.

  ‘Looks like she wasn’t serious before…’ Verity thought apprehensively.

  Still, this was better than his previous situation, so he could not complain.

  Now even more irritated, Melinda glared at him and brandished her wand forward. “Burst and devour. Swallow all that stands in your path. Incinerate my enemies and-”

  Verity tensed. ‘As if I’d let you!’

  Using a toned down version Violence on his legs to propel himself forward, Verity lunged at Melinda.

  Why would he let her chant?

  His spear was aimed at her abdomen, as he had already found that people tended to instinctively protect their neck.

  Melinda did not seem physically strong, despite her prowess as a mage, so Verity did not doubt that one clean hit would put her out of commission.

  However, just as his spear was about to pierce through her, an invisible obstacle stopped it in its tracks, mere inches from Melinda’s tender flesh. It was as though Verity had hit an impenetrable wall.

  ‘What?!’

  The mage groaned under the impact, a sharp breath escaping her lips, but a grin formed on her face as she looked down at the verity.

  Her wand softly landed on Verity's forehead.

  “Combust: Barrage.”

  BOOM